Serving apparatus



March 19, 1929.

B. H. ALLEN SERVING APPARATUS Filed June 6, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m A We Patented Mar. 19, 1 929 UNITED} STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' BE JAMINH. ALLEn, F BEAUMONT, Taxes. 7 r

snnvme APPARATUS.

Application filed June 6,

f My invention relates to an improvement in serving apparatus for use particularly n servingpatrons at lunchcounters or drink stands where the food or drinks are delivered to the occupants of automobiles or similar conveyances. I

It is desired to provide a serving device for use iii delivering a tray with articles of food ordrinks thereon from one point to another withautomatic means for controlling the movement of the tray. V

' It is desired to provide a device of this character whereby the operation of the tray from one point to another may be controlled ing contemplated, however, for mechanically conveymg the tray wherever desired.

The inventlon also contemplates the provision of a particularly effective type of tray adapted to be used upon a serving device and adapted to be connected with the body of the car or automobile in which the patrons are seated.

Itis also desired to provide a means for maintaining the tray in approximately horizontal position, said means operating automa-tically'to compensate for the positionof the track upon which itfruns;

The invention further contemplates the poclosed. Fig. 1 is a side view largely in cen-' tral vertical section on the line 1l of Fig. 4 and illustrating an apparatus employing my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section 7 on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in central longitudinal section of a releasing sleeve employed with the invention. Fig. 4 is an end view'taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. "Fig.5 is a vertical section taken through the inner supporting leg of the frame. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view ofthe serving tray, parts being broken away for great-er clearness; and Fig. 7 is a top plan view of said tray. Like numerals of reference are employed to designate like parts in all the views. v

entirely by gravity, when desired, means he sition of a frame or track with atray slidable,

1927. Seria1 No.196,79' 7.

r In carrying out my invention,I provide a central supporting frame upon which the trackway and 1ts related parts'may be pivoted for'fa tilting or rocking motion. The support ingframe'comprises a post or pedestall having a base 2 for attachment to any desired platform. The pedestal l is preferably of tubular construction. It has a shaft?) telescopingtherein. There is a spring 4 secured to said shaft and having an end 5 thereon and tending to hold the frame on said shaft 3 in adjusted position. f Y

The shaft 3 projects through the head 6 of the upper end of the post and is adapted to projecting through an opening in the post I pivot therein. It is secured at its upper end to a T-shaped coupling 7, the lower end of which bears upon the head 6 of the post. It has two laterally extendingarms 8 connected by L-shaped couplings 9 to upright arms 10 which'areconnected at their upper ends to elbows 11, the horizontal portions of which furnish a bearing for ashaft 12 parallel with the arms onthe lower side of the frame. The frame thus constructedis approximately rec tangular in shape, as shown in Fig. 4. It is supported pivotally by the shaft 3 at the lower end and may, therefore, rotate so as to swing the ends of the trackway from sideto side.

The upper shaft 12 may rock in its sun ports at each end. It, furnishes a support for atrack frame made up of an upper longitudmal track member 13 secured by a bracket 14ct0 the shaft 12 and rigid therewith. Its r ends are connected by a specially formed el- J,

bow 15 to an upright 16 at one end and a sleeve 97 parallel therewithat the other end. The upright 16 is connected with a lower horizontal frame member 17 by means of an. elbow 18, similar in construction to the elbow 15. The opposite end of the track member 17 is connected to a fitting 19 of tubularconstruction by meanszof-which it is joined to the lower end oflthe sleeve 97. Th e'tubular track members 18 and .17 providea support for the operating mechanism connected with theoperation of the tray shown at20. The sleeve 97 at one end of the track frame is adapted to receive a supporting post 18 adapted to tele-- scope within the sleeve 97 and having a series of circumferential grooves or notchest21 therein. It has at its lower end below the frame a forked foot 22 within which is journaled a roller 23 upon a pin 24. (Said pin projects beyond the foot y at each side and is J adapted to engage beneath guide rods 25 on each side of the foot. The roller 23 is adapted to rest upon a base member 26 which, as shown in Fig. 5, has a step downwardly at 27 so that the movement of the frame laterally at the inner end will move the supporting post 18 from one level to the other. The shaft 24 upon the roller engages beneath the guide rods 25 during such movement.

The frame may be adjusted upon the post 18. It has toward the lower end of'the frame a latch comprising two levers 26 which .are pivoted together at 27 outside the frame member and having two inwardly extending arms 28 at the forward end. as shown in Fig. 2, to engage within the notches 21 in the post.

The arms 28 are held in latching engagement by means of a spring 29 between the outer handles of the levers 26. WVhen the frame is to be adjusted vertically upon the post 18 the levers are compressed to throw the arms 18 out of engagement with the post and allow adjustment of the frame thereon, after which the levers may be released to again engage within the adjacent notch or groove 21. p

The tray is mounted upon an upright frame, indicated at 30. This frame is rectangular in shape and has two upright memhere 30, a top connecting member 31 and base member 32. The tray is mounted within this.

frame. The lower base member 32 of the frame is mounted upon forward and rearward rollers 33 bearing upon the trackway formed by the lower track member 17 The upper member 31 of the frame has a roller 34 hearing against the upper track member 13. The frame may be connected at its forward side to a chain or other flexible member 35. Said chain may run beneath the track member 13 and through an opening in the upper elbow 15 about a pulley 36 therein and from thence back again within the track member 13 and around the pulley 36 at the other end within the elbow 15. The end of the chain is extended through the side of the elbow 15 and connected at 37 to the rearward side of the tray frame. as shown in Fig. 1. On each side of the roller 34 upon the tray frame are bumpers 38 which may contact at each end of the track with rods 40 mounted resiliently within lugs 41 in the frame and acting both as shock absorbers and as contactmembers'of an electric switch by means of which the operating motor is'controlled.

The motor shown at 42 is mounted on the upperend of the elbow 15v and is connected through a gear 43 with. the shaft of the pulley 36 so that the rotation of the motor will opcrate the chain by means of which the tray is moved. The motor is preferably a reversible motor so that the chain may be driven in either direction and may be controlled by op erating switches of any preferred form. It is contemplated, however, that the switches 40 at each end of the frame will serveto throw the motor out of operation as soon as either of the posts 38 contact with the switch rod 40 a at either end of the frame.

While I have shown the tray as being capable of operation by a motor, I do not contemplate attaching a motor of this type except in particularcases where the gravity system of operation would not be desirable. Under ordinary circumstances, I contemplate using the gravity system entirely and running the tray from one end of the track frame to the other by merely tilting the frame'on the shaft 12 as an axis. In such operation, the motor may be entirely eliminated, if desired. In this operation of the device I provide a weight 44 mounted upon a rod 45 secured to the lower side of the track frame 17. The weight is slidable onthe rod 45'and may be adjusted into any desired position thereon by set screw 46. It is desired that the inner end having the leg lsthereon will be slightly heavier than the outer end and the predominance of weight may be governed by the sliding of the balance weight 44 along the rod.

The tray 20 is an approximately rectangular plate or supporting member and is preferably formed of two sections, an upper section 47 and a lower section 48 within which the upper section is slidable. The lower section has at the rearward side a series ofopenings 49 slightly to one side of thecenter line of the base and the upper member 47 of the tray has a rod 50, the forward end of which extends in front of the tray and has a short crank arm 51 thereon by means of which the rod may be rotated; The inner end of the rod 50 also has a crank arm 52 thereon with a downwardly extending finger or bolt adapted to extend through an opening in the tray to engage within one of the openings 49 in the base member. Thus the upper tray 47' may be moved outwardly relative to the base and locked in adjusted position at any desired 7 point relative to the base member.

This tray has downwardly extending lugs 53 thereon to receive a shaft 54 mounted in lugs 55 in the lower frame portion 32. This allows the tray to be pivoted relative to the frame, as will be obvious. The position of the tray relativeto the frame is regulated by a latch member 55, shown particularly in Fig. 6, secured on the lower side of the frame. It

comprises a bar having blades 56 at each end.

It is approximately S-shapedf and is pivoted at 57 intermediate its ends. The blade members 56 at the ends of the latch member engage within notches 58 in the upright porl-Ill tions 30 ofthe frame, as shown in Fig. 1. A I

spring 59 holds the latching blades to engage with the notches 58 of the frame, preventing tilting of the tray relative to the frame while the latch is engaged. The frame has on its forward and rearward sides releasing bolts 60 and 60. Thesebolts of the latch member and force it laterally away from engagement with the notches .58

in the frame against the action of the spring 59. The wedge shaped head of the releasing bolt is normally held resiliently away from the latching blade 56 by means of a spring 61 bearing against the upper edge 62 of the bolt at one end and against the supporting member of the frame at the other end. 1

The tray is mounted in its base and the base is automatically tilted to maintain the tray in a horizontal position by means of controlling fingers 63 at one endofthe frame and64'at the other end. Referring to the finger 63, it will be noted that it is mounted upon a sleeve 65 telescoping over a post 66' on the upper side of the fitting 19 of theframe. is connected with arod 67 within the post 66 but is held resiliently upward awayv therefrom by means of the spring 68. The sleeve may be drawn downwardly upon the post 66 1 by means of a chain 69' secured to the lower endv of the rod 67 and running around a pulley 70 within the fitting 19. chain 69 is connected with the rod 71 which extends the full length of the lower track member 17 inside thereofand is connected at'its opposite end by means of a chain 72 with a rod 7 3 in the upright 16. Said rod 73 is suspended by means of a tensionspring 74 upon a pin 75 within the saidu-pright 16. The rod 73 may be drawn downwardly against the tension spring 74 by means of the chain .72 engaging about the pulley 7 6'. The finger 64 is mounted rigidly upon the rod 73 and ismovable vertically within the slot 77 in the side of the upright 16. V

The rod 71 has connected therewith mid way bet-ween its ends a downwardly extending arm 78. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4 the arm 78 extends through a slot 79 inthe track member 17 and projects through a block 80 mount ed upon supports 81 rigidly, within the frame member 7. The arm 78 is thus held approximately stationary, preventing any translating movement of the rod 71 relative to the stationary block 80. Thus, when the frame is tilted on the shaft 12 as an axis, the pendulum movement of the framethereon will move the lower track 17 relative to the rod 71 and exert a pull in one direction or the other upon said rod, depending upon the direction of the tilt ing of the frame. Thus, when the inner end of the frame adjacent the motor is elevated a pull downwardly will be exerted upon the sleeve 65 and the finger 63 through the rod and the connecting means. This movement downwardly will force the finger 63against the releasing-bolt at 62 and serves not only to tilt the tray but to spread'thelatch members 56 out of engagement with the tray frame and allow the tray to be tilted and engaged in its new posi- This sleeve 65' The other end of the the effect of lengthening,

tion with the frame member3O to hold-it in 1 position while the frame itself is fingers 63 and 64 from the tray frame, I pro I vide sleeves 82connected within the rod 71 adjacent each end of t-hevframe, as shown in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 3 the construction of this sleeve and its connection within the rod'71 will be noted; The sleeve 82 is closed ateach end except for a centralopening 83. to receive the sections of the, rod 71., At one end the rod 71 has a head'84 slidable and rotata-ble within the sleeve. At the opposite end the rod 71 is provided with a laterallyextending finger 85 which engages within a groove U 86 on the inner surface of the sleeve. This groove is L-shaped having a transverse portion and a longitudinal portion. The finger 85 engaging within the transverse portion of the slot normally holds the flexible connection 69 or 72 to exert a pull downwardly upon the finger 63 or 64. Projecting through-the track member 17 into each of said sleeves are p-rojects'through a slot 88 within the sleeve. Said slot is-spirally arranged on the sleeve so that when the sleeve is moved longitudinally relative to the pin 87, the sleeve will be caused to rotate I Thus, when the frame is tilted in either direction, the movement of the rod 71 will tend to move the sleeve 82 andthe pin 87 will thereby tend to rotate the sleeve. This rotation of the sleeve will carry the finger 85, upon the rod 71 around into the longitudinalthe'rod to have v arm of'the slot 86 "and allow thus releasing the pull thereof upon the latching fingers 63 or 64 so as to allow the trayto be moved away automatically. lVhen the rod is again moved back into its original position the movement of the parts will be: reversed the rod 71 will tend to push the finger inwardly in the sleeve and the finger 85 will again move into the transverse arm of the slot 86. i v

The frame member 30 of the tray has a laterally extending arm 89, shown inxFig. 4, which is adapted to engage with the door of the automobile upon which the tray is to be delivered. The'said arm/89 has a latching finger 90 on its forward end which may be engaged over the door of the car to hold the 1 screws or bolts 87. The end of the bolt the car. The tray itself has a lateral arm 91 i above thelatching arm 89 and thisarin 91 of the tray is made up of two parts whiclnas seen in Fig. 7, are engaged withthe tray at w one end and their meeting ends normally will provide a loop handle for operating the tray and sliding it on the base member 48. VJ hen desired, however, the two parts of the handle 91 may be thrown downwardly in the raid die so as to provide hooks to engage over the side of the car or any other convenient member to hold the tray in the position desired.

In the operation of the device, it is contemplated that the inner end having the post- 18 thereon will be adjacent the serving stand and the tray will be at that end of the frame.

The automobile will drive into a stall or marked oi'l' place on the pavement or upon the ground adjacent the stand and the tray will then have the food or drink placed thereon and the inner end will be elevated by grasping a handle 92 and the latch member I 26, raising the inner end of the frame along with the supporting leg 18 and also swinging the frame on the upright aXis 3 so as throw the outer end of the trackway closely adj acent the car. the frame is swung to bring the outer end toward the ear the foot 22 will move away from the step portion 27 of the supporting base. The tray will be then automatically released and the tilting of the frame upwardly at the inner end to carry the tray downwardly toward the opposite end will automatically result in the operation of the mechanism just described to maintain the tray at an approximately level position within the frame 30. The operation of the releasing sleeve shown in Fig. 3 will release the finger 63 and allow the tray to slide down the trackway to the opposite end. it will there engage with the finger 64L and will be held in that position until the frame is again tilted in the opposite direction. When the tray is at the outer end of the frame or trackway, the upper portion 4:? of the tray may be moved outwardly so as to bring the tray above the door of the car and into,the interior thereof. The position of the tray may be regulated through the latching rod 50, as previously set forth. When the tray is to be again delivered back to the serving end of the frame, the traymay be moved back into its position upon its base 48 and the latching finger may be disengaged from the door of the car and the outer end swung laterally. As it moves laterally, the leg 18 will be moved so that the foot 22 will drop off the step portion 27 on to the lower level thereof and as it drops downwardly the outer end will be elevated and the elevation will automatically release the engagement of the linger 64 of the tray frame, thus allowing the tray to slide back to the serving end of the frame.

It is believed that the advantages of this construction will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The frame is so arranged that it mav be maintained in a normal balanced condition at all times so that the raising and lowima-m4 ering of the frame will be a simple matter and it will be seen that the movement and control of the tray will bejpractically automatic without particular adjustment. .The adjustability of the frame relative to the guide leg 18 makes it possible to regulate the height of the frame to any size of car within which the patronsare seated. It will be particularly convenient in use and economical to operate. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent i z 7 LA servi device including a frame, a trackway pivot-ally suspended on said frame to swing in both vertical and horizontal planes, a tray slidable on said trackway, releasable n'ieans at each end of said trackway to engage said tray, said tray being moved by gravity on said trackway whensaid trackway is tilted.

A serving device including a frame, a trackway pivotally suspended on said frame to swing in both vertical and horizontal planes, a tray slidable on said trackway, releasable means at each end of said trackway to engage sa.i(l .tra said tray. being moved by gravity on said trackway when said trackway is tilted, and automatic means operated by the tilting of said trackway to place said tray in ap 'iroximately horizontal position.

3. A serv' g device including a frame, a trackway pivotally suspended on said frame to swing in both vertical and horizontal planes, a tray slidable on said trackway, re leasable means at each end of said trackway to engage said tray, means operated by the tilting of said trackway to release said means, said tray being moved by gravity on said trackway when said trackway is tilted.

l. A serving device including a supporting frame, mounted to swing on a vertical axis, a trackway supported to tilt thereon, a tray on; said trackway and adapted to slide by gravity from one end thereof to the other when said trackway is tilted, a lateral, arm on said tray to engage a support, and resilient means to limit the movement of said tray.

5. A ser ing device including a supporting frame, mounted to swing on a vertical axis, a trackway supported to tilt thereon, a tray on said trackway and apted to slide by gravity from one end thereof to the other when said trackway is tilted, a lateral arm on said tray to engage a support, resilient means to limit the movement of said tray, and a leg at one end of said traokway adjustable vertically therein to regulate the height thereof.

6. A. serving device comprising a frame mounted to swing on avertical axis, a track way mounted to rock thereon, a tray frame slidable on said trackwa a tray pivotally mounted on said tray frame, means to latch said tray adjustably on its frame, and automatically operated means to adjust said tray in its frame to maintain said tray in approximately level position.

7. A serving device comprising a frame and movable thereon by gravity, means at each end of said trackway' engaging sa1d tray,

to maintain it in position at ,theend of said trackwa'y and means on said support engaging with means'on said trackway to automatically release said tray engaging means controlled by the tilting of said trackway.

9. A serving device including a-trackway, means to support said trackwaybetween its ends to rock thereon, a tray on said trael'rway and movable thereon by gravity, means at each end of said trackway engaging said tray to maintain it in position at the end of said.

trackway and means to automatically release said tray engaging means controlled by the tilting of said trackway, said tray engaging means also acting to control the angle of said tray relative to said trackway. V V

10. In a serving device of the character stated, a supporting frame, a trackway thereon, a tray slidable on said trackway, and means to vary the height of the outer end of said trackway to position said tray at vari-' .ous levels as desired, said .trackway being mounted to swing its outer end laterally, and

means to normally hold said trackway-in a predetermined position. j

11. A serving device including a supporting frame, a trackway thereon, a tray slid-' able on said trackway, and means to swing the tray laterally toposition same at various lateral distances as desired.

12. In a device of the character described, a supporting frame pivoted on a vertical axis, a trackway suspended thereon, a trayslidable on' said trackway, and means to cause said tray to move from one end of said trackway to the other. 7 13.111 a device ofthe character described, a supporting frame pivoted on a vertical axis, a trackwaysuspended thereon between its endsto rock thereon, a tray slidable on said trackway, means to cause said tray to I move from one end ofjsaid trackway to the.

other, and releasable means to retain said tray at the ends of sald trackway.

14. In a device of the character described,

a supporting frame pivoted on a vertical,"

axis, a trackway suspended thereon between its ends to Rick thereon, a tray slidable on .said trackway, means to cause said tray to.

move from one end of said 'trackway to the other, and releasable means to retain said tray at the ends of said trackway, said releasable means being controlled by the position of said trackway upon its support.

1 15. In a device of the character described, a supporting framepivoted on a vertical axis,

a trackway suspended thereon between its ends to rock thereon, a tray slidable on said trackway, said tray having an extensible member thereon, a latch on said member, and means on said tray toengage a support such as a vehicle frame. i

16. In a device of the character described, a supporting frame pivoted on a vertical axis, a trackway suspended thereon between its ends to rock thereon, a tray slid'able by gravity on said trackway, the inner end of said trackwayrbeing heavier than the outer end, means to control-the level to which the I inner end of said trackway may descend, means to hold said frame in a predetermined position on itsaxis operative when said track-' way is released to move the said outer end upwardly in the manner described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature this'27th day of May, A. D. 1927.

i BENJAMIN H, ALLEN. 

